GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida bopped a season-high five home runs en route to an 8-4 victory over North Florida at Condron Family Ballpark on Tuesday night.
 
Four different Gators left the yard led by Bobby Boser (2-for-5), who drilled a pair of homers highlighted by a sixth-inning grand slam to finish with a team-high five RBI. Justin Nadeau (2-for-4), Colby Shelton (1-for-4) and Brody Donay (1-for-2) all connected for solo shots, with Shelton hammering his 50th career home run in the win.
 
The Ospreys (17-12) produced three baserunners in the top of the first, but UF starter Jackson Barberi utilized a pickoff of leadoff man Nick Monile and fanned Santiago Ordonez to strand a pair. The Gators (20-11) quickly put two runs on the board in the home half, as Nadeau swatted a leadoff homer to right field followed by a one-out big fly to right off the bat of Shelton.
 
The ball kept flying on Tuesday night, as North Florida cut the UF lead to 2-1 in the top of the second with a solo home run to right field by Mitchell Collins. The Gators then turned to southpaw McCall Biemiller with two men on, with the lefty issuing a free pass before striking out Cade Bush looking to keep the lead intact.
 
Following a leadoff walk in the third, Florida turned to right-hander Caden McDonald on the mound. The redshirt sophomore retired three-straight Ospreys highlighted by two strikeouts to strand the tying run on third base.
 
Leading off bottom-three, Boser got in on the yard party by parking a first-pitch homer out of the ballpark to left-center. Now leading 3-1, McDonald held the two-run advantage by chucking a clean frame in the fourth.
 
North Florida got two runs back to tie the tally at three runs apiece in the fifth, as Bush made it 3-2 with a one-out solo shot to left field. With two outs, Collins reached on a throwing error at second base while Connor Moore scampered home for an unearned run.
 
Right-handers Alex Philpott and Jake Clemente combined to blank North Florida in the sixth, allowing Donay to provide the lead with a go-ahead, solo home run into the left-field bullpen to open the home half of the frame. Landon Stripling followed with a single to center while Hayden Yost and Nadeau drew one-out walks to load the bases. Boser then stepped to the plate and uncorked a grand slam off the batter’s eye in center field for his second homer of the night, giving the Gators an 8-3 advantage through six innings.
 
Clemente navigated around a pair of baserunners in the seventh to churn out a zero. He was replaced by righty Christian Rodriguez at the onset of the eighth, who needed just nine pitches to retire the side in order.
 
In the ninth, right-handed pitcher Billy Barlow came on to pitch after a leadoff walk to pinch-hitter James Oman. Barlow allowed the inherited runner to score on an RBI groundout to shortstop by Jabin Bates, but successfully shut the door on an 8-4 victory by inducing a groundout of Collins to third base.

Clemente (2-1) earned the victory, providing 1 2/3 scoreless innings of relief. The right-hander did not allow a hit while walking one and fanning two batters.

 

Ospreys reliever Jackson Bellhorn (2-1) was saddled with his first loss of the campaign. He was charged with two earned runs on two hits and did not record an out.

 

Neither starter factored into the decision. Barberi lasted 1 2/3 frames with one earned run allowed on two hits and three walks. The freshman struck out three in his third-career start. UNF starter Ryan Furey allowed two earned runs on three hits and one walk in his lone inning of work. He fanned one batter.

 

NOTABLES

• The Gators cranked a season-high five home runs on Tuesday.

  • Florida scored all eight of its runs via the homer.

• Florida and UNF used a combined 18 pitchers, with both throwing nine apiece.
• Florida improved to 19-3 in non-conference play.
• The Gators rose to 8-2 in midweek games this season.
• Florida is now 10-3 against in-state competition in 2025.
• Nadeau hit his second homer of the season to lead off the bottom of the first.
• Shelton connected for his fifth homer with one out in the first, marking his 50th career home run.
• Boser took the team lead with his ninth and 10th homers of the season, becoming the first Gator to reach double digits.

  • Boser’s second homer was a sixth-inning grand slam.
  • He finished 2-for-4 with two homers and five RBI.

• Donay launched his ninth home run with a go-ahead shot in the sixth.
• Florida is now 23-7 all-time against UNF, including 18-4 at home.

  • The Gators are 23-5 overall and 18-3 in Gainesville in the series under Head Coach Kevin O’Sullivan.
  • Florida has won 10 in a row and 17 of the last 18 against the Ospreys.

• Tuesday night’s official attendance was 4,905.

FROM HEAD COACH KEVIN O’SULLIVAN
On the pitching staff’s performance…
“Some good, some not so good. Obviously, we got off to a rough start. 20 strikes out of 40 pitches, 1.2 innings for the start. The plan was only to get three innings and let it be a bullpen day. Obviously, we went to the bullpen, threw 14 pitches and only five strikes. I was disappointed. We had six free base runners I guess, five walks and a hit by pitch in the first two innings. With that being said, Caden came in, did a nice job. Certainly don’t want to take a pitcher out in the middle of the count, but it was obvious that we were going to dig ourselves a hole there. Then we had to use Alex and Jake in the middle of the game, which we try to get through games like this, especially when we jump out to a lead, where we don’t have to use them. Rodriguez threw a good inning. Billy finished it there at the end. The disappointing thing is, we’ve talked about the same things since the fall and for whatever reason, the message isn’t getting across. It’s just preaching the same thing. Get to two strikes as quickly as possible and throw two of the first three pitches for strikes, and the batting average against is going to be in your favor…”
 
On whether the offense is picking up steam…
“I hope so. Obviously, the pitching we are going to see this weekend is going to look a little different, just like it’s been the first three series. But we had a good night at the plate. Bobby especially had a really good night tonight.”
 
On responding after UNF tied it up…
“Obviously, Donay and Boser had two key at bats, but a lot of the momentum is tied into when Caden comes in and he shuts the door. And Jake comes in, first and third with no outs, and he doesn’t allow them to score. There were a couple key moments on the mound that kind of forced our hand. Obviously, you don’t know how any game is going to go, but those two moments when Jake came in and Caden came in, were big moments.”

UP NEXT

Florida hosts No. 23 Vanderbilt this weekend from April 4-6, with the series opener set for Friday night at 6:30 p.m. on SEC Network+.